Grand Ivan's forceful intervention fundamentally changed the situation.
Mario is Italian, and the Cicero Family has been rooted in Italy for a long time. It's almost impossible for him to fail in Italy. If Grand Ivan is the dragon crossing the river, then Mario is the local dragon, or perhaps not the local dragon.
But there's a problem. No matter how powerful the Cicero Family is, it can't stand openly as a force. When the Mafia has rampaged in Italy for many years and finally been suppressed into extinction on their home turf, the Italian government is unable to publicly support a family force, especially when helping an Underworld family would cause innocent civilians to suffer. No one in the Italian government can bear this consequence.
